Back from the pit...and more photos

I feel like I dropped of the edge of the planet (well it is flat, y'know!) and it's taken me an age to climb back on...but finally here I am. We (that is me and my very much better half) have been ill over Christmas...or more accurately, since we came back from holiday in November, so it's been a pretty miserable festive season...and New Year went off with a rather damp squib. But ho hum, we soldier on.

Thought it was about time I posted some more pics of our trip, so finally here they are. My gran passed away shortly before we travelled, and despite having missed the funeral, I wanted to visit the cemetary while we were in Dublin...but it was a little surreal. It's not a cemetary I ever remember having visited before, but my parents assure me it's changed a lot. It used to be surrounded by fields and roads, now (land being so scarce for development), it's actually inside a housing development. So you drive in through the gates of the development before you get to the gates of the cemetary, and once you're there you're surrounded by apartments overlooking the walls. All I can say, is it's a really weird view to have from your balcony. Anyway, the grave was still piled high with flowers from the funeral, as you can see...



We were only in Dublin for a very short time, but while there my dad took us to the Phoenix Park (where we used to picnic when I was a kid) and we saw a very pretty restored tower...I would have read the details on the placque but they were in Irish, and I've never been that fluent lol!



Right next to it there's a well-manicured hedge maze, which my better half threatened to lose me in ... so I pointed out it was only about two feet high, and he said, 'Yeah, that's about right' and was swiftly kicked...I know I'm short but really!



Next time I'll post some pics my Dad took from the hotel...which if you ever find yourself travelling to Ireland, I can strongly recommend...that you avoid it like the plague!!!!